Apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers.



PATENTED JULY 16, 1907.

No. 860,578. A

L. SHOGRAN. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIPIGIAL FLOWERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 190

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED JULY 16, 1907.

L. SHOGRAN.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1906.

a sums-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed May 14,1906. Serial No. 316,683-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD SHOGRAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Wyandotte and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Manufacturing ArtificialFlowers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device or apparatus for manufacturing certainkinds of artificial flowers, and the object of my invention is toproduce a device for this purpose which is simple in construction, easyof manipulation, and occupies a very small space, so that a large numberof operators may be accommodated at a single work-bench or table,thereby economizing space.

More specifically, my invention relates to a device for makingartificial flowers from readyprepared disks of the material, which disksmay be circular, circuloscalloped, or circuloserrated, or of any otherconfiguration suitable for forming a ring of petals for a flower.

I will now proceed to describe my invention, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my invention,one of the forming-plates being shown detached Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the apparatus with its hinged members in closed position; Fig. 3is a sectional view taken on line ab of Fig. 1, showing also, thekeyhole plate and a flower element laid thereon, Fig. 4 is a sectionalview similar to Fig. 3, but showing the plate 10 in closed position witha second flower element laid thereon Fig. 5 is a similar sectional viewshowing the top plate in closed position, also a partly formed flower,and the plunger which cooperates with the plates to form it Fig. 6 is asection of the keyhole plate showing a flower held by the openingtherein; and Fig. 7 is a detached view of the said plunger.

The frame of this device is made preferably in the form of a box, asshown in Fig. 1. By this construction a cavity or receptacle is providedfor the disks of ma terial of which the flowers are formed. The box asshown comprises a bottom 1, a back 2, and two sides 3, all rigidlyconnected together, in connection with the other parts described below.A horizontal plate 4, having a circular aperture 5 therein, ispermanently secured across the upper portion of the box, but not at theextreme top thereof. As shown, the lateral edges of this plate areintegral with two downwardly-extending flaps 6, which are glued orotherwise secured to the sides 3. But these flaps might be dispensedwith, and the plate 4 secured in position by other means. Hinged to theupper edge of the back of the box, is a rectangular plate 7 in which isa circular opening 8, which, when the plate is down (or closed)registers above the opening 5 of plate 4. As shown, the hinge by whichthe plate 7 is attached consists of a strip 9 of thin flexible materialbut metal hinges might be employed in lieu thereof. Hinged to one side 3of the box, is a plate 10 which is designed to occupy an intermediateposition between plates 4 and 7 when in operative position. Its hinge,12, as shown consists of a strip of thin flexible material. Plate 10 isprovided with a circular opening 13, which, when said plate is laid downin the position shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 4, registers with the openingsin the other two plates above described. As shown, these three openingsare of substantially equal diameters.

As most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, plate 10 is provided with anintegral or rigidly secured lip 10 to which the hinge 12 is attached.The obvious purpose of said lip is to depress the plate 10 when saidplate is in closed position, thereby forming a space (22) referred tobelow. The front side of the box, as shown, is formed of a plate 14,which is preferably hinged to the bottom of the box, and is providedwith flanges 15 which lap over the sides and the top plate 7, whenclosed, as shown in Fig. 2. This hinged front 14 is not essential to theoperation of making the flowers, but it provides a means for closing thebox when the apparatus is not in use. A third forming-plate is employed,but is made detachable from the box instead of being attached thereto.This plate is marked 16 and is shown in perspective detached in Fig. 1,and in position in Figs. 3, 4 and 5; also in section detached in Fig. 6.As shown, when in position it rests directly upon the bottom plate 4. Itis provided witha circular opening 17, of smaller size than the openingsin plates 4 and 7, but concentric therewith. This opening 17 is providedwith a radial extension or communicating slot 18, the function of whichis hereinafter explained.

In combination with the parts just described, a small cylindricalplunger 19, is employed. One end thereof is rounded, as shown. Theplunger is of smaller diameter than the opening 17 of keyhole plate 16,and its operation is included in the following description of the modeof operating the device. To illustrate this description, reference ishad to Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. The initial step in forming a flower withthis device is to lay back the hinged forming-plate 10 and the hingedforming-plate 7. This exposes the keyhole plate 16 in position uponplate-4. A disk of the material, which is preferably paper, is laid uponthe plate 16, over its opening 17. In Fig. 3, such a disk is shown, inedge, and designated 20. The other forming-plate 10 is then closed downupon this disk. Next, a similar disk-which may be of the same color orof a different color, from the firstis laid upon plate 10, over itsopening 13. This disk is shown in Fig. 4, and desig nated 21. The hingedformingplate 7 is now closed. A space 22 is provided between this plateand the plate below, as shown in Fig. 5. Also, a lesser space 23 isprovided between the hinged plate 10 and the keyhole plate 16. Saidspaces permit of the crimping and proper shaping of the material intothe form of a flower, when acted upon by the plunger. A third disk, 24,is laid upon the top plate 7, over its opening 8. The plunger 19 is nowtaken by the operator and (with blunt end down) is forced downwardlyupon the disks, drawing the central portion of each one down through therespective holes in the plates, until the material assumes the formshown in Fig. 5. The disks shown in the drawing were cut with serratededges to imitate the petals of a carnation or pink. As clearly shown,the calyx 25 is formed by the protuberance caused by the terminalportion of the plunger. The plunger is now withdrawn, the calyx isgrasped by the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and with the other handthe hinged plates 10 and 7 are turned back. The flower is not torn bythis operation. The keyhole plate 16 is removed from the box, and thecalyx is slipped laterally into the slot or extension 18 of opening 17,as shown in Fig. 6; the purpose of which is to permit the operator totwist the calyx without grasping the petals. The upper portion of thecalyx, adjacentthe petals, is prevented, by the slot, from turning,while the calyx itself is sufliciently twisted by the thumb andforefinger oi the operative. If suitable material is used, this twistwill be retained. The object of the twisting is to reduce the calyx to aproper size and firmness and to bind the three component parts morefirmly together. The flower is now complete, excepting a stem, and isremoved from the plate 16, and the above-described operation is repeatedfor the next flower.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising aplurality of horizontally-disposed formingplates having registeringopenings therein, and spaced apart, and means for supporting saidplates, in combination with a plunger not connected thereto.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising aplurality of horizontally-disposed formingplaies having registeringopenings therein, and spaced apart, means for supporting said plates,said plates being movable relatively to said supporting means, incomhinacomprising an upper forming-plate having a circular openlower ingtherein, an intermediate forming-plate having a circular openingtherein, and a lower formingplate having an elongated opening therein,said plates being spaced apart, and means for supporting said plates;said plates being movable relatively to said supporting means.

5. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,an upper formingplate hinged thereto and having an opening therein, anintermediate formingplate hinged thereto and having an opening therein,a lower forming-plate having a keyhole-shaped opening therein, and meansfor supporting said lower forming-plate.

0. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,an upper forming-plate hinged thereon and having an opening therein, anintermediate formingplate hinged thereon and having an opening therein,a forming-plate having a keyhole-shaped opening therein, a supportingplate having an opening which registers with, and exceeds in diameter,the said opening in said lower forming-plate.

7. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,a fixed supporting plate within the box, said plate having an openingtherein, a detachable formingplate supported thereby and having akeyhole-shaped opening therein, a removable formingplate spaced abovethe lower forming-plate and having an opening therein, and an uppermostremovable forming-plate having an opening therein and spaced above the1ast-nientioncd or intermediate forming-plate.

S. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,a fixed supporting plate therein, said plate having an opening therein,a detachable forming plate supported thereby and provided with akeyholeshaped opening, a hinged intermediate forming-plate spaced abovethe lower forming-plate and having an opening therein, and an uppermosthinged forming-plate having an opening therein and spaced above saidintermediate forming plate.

D. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,a fixed supporting plate within the box, said plate having a circularopening therein, an intermediate forming-plate and an upperforming-plate, each having a circular opening therein, a lowerdetachable formingplate having a circular opening of less diameter thanthe openings of the other said plates, said circular opening having anarrow extension or slot which is adapted to engage the calyx of theartificial flower while the calyx is being twisted by the operative.

10. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial flowers, comprising a box,the forming-plates hinged thereto, said plates being provided with theopenings 8 and 13, the fixed supporting-plate 4, provided with anopening 5 which registers with the aforesaid openings, and thedetachable formingplate 16, adapted to rest upon the said plate 4, saidplate 16 being provided with a circular opening 17 having a narrowextension 18; for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the pres ence of twowitnesses.

LEONARD SHO GRAN.

Witnesses K. hLlMBODEN, G. E. Wooncox.

